The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-04-21
WILD WINDS.
Belmont County Receives a Visit from a
Destructive Cyclone.
A Number OF Persons Injured but no Lives
Reported LOst---ssveraI Hundred
Houses wreOked---Damsge
IncAloulable.

/ nIbbTnOOup WI6CkluB llOu bWO W suLet
hundred houses, msin Ing and W und
ing large humber Of people and doing
an incalcnla6le amount OF damage.
As far as eau he learned tonight nc
lives were lost, some hing little short u
a miracle when one views the wreck
and learns of the wide OK ent OF terri
tory covered by the storm.
The general direction Of the cVclOne
was from southwest to northeast and Its
track Var ed from one hundred yards to
nalf a mile wide l. first struck st
Clsirsyille, The county seat Of Be mont
county, WnpTe at least d ~ buildings
we're wrecked, iDcluning the courthouse,
the United PTesb byttr,an church, the
hotel aud q numb Of handsome resi-
dences. About; a dozen people were
wnuD ed, but nO one was fatally hurt.
The town Is located upon d high hi | aud
present d fair target for the wind.
The force Vt the tornado was terrific.
Houses we're literally torn into shreds
nd the air was filled wi b flying Debris,
many heavy tim6ers, tree trunks etc,
being carried 10 & distances. There
mad been 10 rain for three weeks and
he result was binding cloud OF dus
wnicn was driven before the storm an
hut out every hing from sight The
AR grew dark as midnight, and before
the people could imagine what W6h
wrong the storm burst on the town IL
all its fury. The tornado O1ly las I'd
about thrse minutes, but In that time II
-wath was cut through tho DOrthe9n
aud western end of the place and IF y
buildings we're in ruins. Continuing
across the county In GOrlheasterly
direction the hurricane swept the hi l.
lOps bare of buildings, timber and eVery
thing else In ils path, doing great dam
age OV IA line ten niles In leuglh.
just before reaching Martins Ferry
the storm struck Fairview school house,
where about thirty pupils were at work
over their lessons. In an instant the
building was twisted from It's fOuEda.
tiOn and whiTled away, leaving the
scholars upon the remains Of the fl jOr
piled Cellmell upon the wlndswept
ground. All escaped with slight iujar-
les.
A mile further on the storm struck
the edge of Martins Ferry, a maDufac-
turing town of 1000 population, jusy
opposite the no thern enn Of tbi9 CI y.
II cut its way for half mile through
the western and northern end of lbr
town, wreCking about one hundred
houses and badly damaging about fifty
mare
The scene duriUg the brief period
which the tornado lasted was fright.
full one. The sky WAS bat partly over.
caat with clouds few minutes
before the bursting of the storm, an0
people began to rejoice at the prospect
of q shower as q relief from the pro
longed and unusual drOutb. Only few
scattering drops OF rain fell, and then.
after a moment of dead calW, the storm
shot from behind the hills and fell upon
the town.
The cyclone struck the town proper
back of Elm cottage, the house of Pro.
fessOr G. A. SpreVe. At this point nO
damage was done to the residence, bat
a half dCz3n huge elm trees were bent
over to the ground and several apple
trees uprOOted and one lifted bodily mo
the air and carried hundred feet. Im
alongside of Professor
SDreVe's tWO-stOTy frame was unTOOfed
and twisted on Its foundation. In the
house there was narrow escape from q
tragedy, Mrs. Smith had just taken her
child from bed In an upper room and
started out when half ton of bricks
from falling chimney came rafting
down, the mass falling upon the bed
where the child had lain but few min
utes before.
two-stOry frame house belonging to
NJ. @. Mitchell and occupied by L vii.
helm and William Davis was almost
torn to pieces, the entire upper story and
north wall going by the board. Mrs.
was the only one in the hOuss
hurt, although the two families, chill
1ren and all. Mrs. Wilhelm's shoulder
was broken. Mrs. Robert GraysOn'e
two story frame tenement house, con
tanning three families, was uUTOofpd
and the chimDeys blown down. A G..
CRmpbel's house was turned on its
and the side bulged out
These details could ba continued for col
lmns. The whole upper end Of the town
Ia complete wreck. The Orm crossed
The river at right angles with the
stream. and spent ita force among the
hills on the West Virginia SIDE. The
complete list OF casualties la Martins
Ferry numbers eighteen and thirty OF
forty In the county. 1t is impossible 60
get list of the names.
1T STRUCK wELLsVILLE.
WELLsVILLE, o., April 15.-0ne of the
most terrific storms that ever visited
this section passed over this part of the
county at o'clock this afternoon, doing
immense damage. The tornado crossed
the Cleveland & Plttsburg railroad at
and was accompanied with
3 huge waterspout, which burst just on
the outskirts Of town, destroying fences
and farm property, tearing up trees and
prOstrating telegraph wires. Reports
Of damage done are meager, owing to
the wires being down. No fatalities so